AT&T, Apple’s exclusive carrier in the US, is allegedly changing upgrade eligibility dates in the system to reflect a rumored June 21 iPhone HD launch. At least one reader informed MobileCrunch of a sudden change in upgrade eligibility date on his AT&T account.

According to the publication, AT&T has moved upgrade eligibility date for this individual five months early, from November 21 to June 21. Grek Kumparak, the author of the report, noted “a few other folks” in his office have been able to confirm exactly the same changes applied to their accounts.

The five-month change in the reader’s eligibility date, the publication speculated, cannot be considered a tweak in the system and instead indicates that the carrier is gearing up for the official iPhone HD launch. On the other hand, June 21 is Monday and it would be very unlike Apple to schedule such an important product launch any day but Friday.

Also, a spokesperson for AT&T contacted the publication, insisting their interpretation is purely speculative. However, the company hasn’t denied the June 21 launch presumption:

There has been no change in policy around eligibility dates. Our existing policy aims to allow customers to upgrade to new devices as early as possible – exact timing is based on a variety of factors (length of contract, payment history, etc.) unique to each customer’s account. We constantly update our systems based on these factors, meaning some customers become eligible earlier than they anticipated.

Ever since the original iPhone debuted in the summer of 2007, Apple has been putting out a new model each summer. If the trend continues, we can expect a new iPhone model this summer, probably coinciding with Apple’s sold-out developer conference slated to run from June 7 through June 11. This means that Steve Jobs will unveil the handset at the venue and formally announce pricing and US availability. In the meantime, Apple will be collecting pre-orders.

Reader Comments

KLanD

Well, i guess Apple will be sending the cops to kick down their door now..

Since that seems to be how they handle “leaks” now.

http://www.monster-island.net kushibo

While moving it up five months may mean they want the guy to be eligible for the iPhone G4 sooner, I don’t think the exact June 21 date means anything. They changed the guy from November 21 to June 21, a move in blocks measured in months. Had they moved him from, say, November 18 or November 25 to June 21, I’d say the exact June 21 date has some significance.

Two years ago, when the iPhone 3G came out, I called ahead and waited in line and all that. AT&T had moved up my eligibility date by a few months, but I was still four days shy of the launch date, so after two hours at the Kahala Mall Apple Store, it was all for naught. No amount of pleading with the people at 611 changed that. I came back four days later and got my phone.

My point is that AT&T might move people up so they can be eligible sooner, but their moves don’t necessarily reveal launch dates.